Page 189 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

DIXIE

J ohn Stone is drunk. He’s slurring over his words, he’s swaying on his feet, and when he opens his mouth, his breath reeks of alcohol.

I’ve actively tried to avoid John since that creepy episode on Wednesday when he lingered in my office and kept staring at me. I guess my luck’s run out.

He’s standing a little too close, his eyes fixated on my breasts, a very unpleasant leer on his face. I take a step back. What does he mean—he knows what I’ve been doing? “What do you want, John?”

“Well, let’s see.” He crowds me again. “I had my one-on-one with Xavier on Friday. You must be feeling pretty smug and self-satisfied right now. Slept your way right to the top. There’s a word for women like you, Dixie.

” His expression contorts with disgust. “But it’s worse than that, isn’t it?

It wasn’t just Kane you fucked. You fucked two men. At the same time. ”

I go very cold. “How did you find out?”

“You weren’t exactly quiet about it,” he sneers. “Everyone in that taqueria heard you. Disgusting. ”

A shock goes through me. John must have been there on Tuesday. I was drunk. Loud. Recklessly foolish.

And now he knows.

I brace myself for a wave of self-hatred and shame.

It doesn’t come.

“I’m going to make this easy for you,” he continues. “Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to go into Xavier’s office on Monday. You’re going to tell him you’re not interested in Pierre’s job. You’ve been thinking about it, and it’s too much responsibility. You’re not ready.”

My mouth falls open. “What? No.”

“Or,” he continues, ignoring my refusal. “I will tell everyone what you did. Every single person in the office. You decide. Does the world find out that Dixie Ketcham likes to spread her legs for any man that comes along?”

The hair on the back of my neck stands up. “You’re blackmailing me.”

“Oh yes, I am,” he says grimly. “I’ve worked too hard for this. You come in six months ago, and you think that all you need to do is put out like a fucking slut? Fuck that shit.”

I clench my eyes shut. Not because I don’t want to face this situation, but because I need a moment to compose myself.

The man in front of me is John Stone, but when he calls me a slut, it’s not his voice I hear. It’s William’s. That voice has haunted me since I was seventeen. It has kept me closed off and afraid and alone. I’ve spent most of my adult life being ashamed of my desires.

Enough.

William’s words can’t haunt me any longer. Not if I refuse to let them. I’m not a teenager. I’m a grown woman, and I’m taking my power back.

I open my eyes and stare at the man in front of me. “Do your worst,” I tell John, my voice clear. “Tell whoever you want. I’m not backing down. I’m not ashamed of sleeping with Hunter and Eric.”

“You aren’t?” Eric’s voice asks from behind me. I swivel around, and it’s not just Eric standing there. Hunter’s there too. As is Xavier. And Hira.

Oh crap. We have an audience.

Time to dive into the deep end of the pool.

I lift my head and meet Eric’s gaze. “I’m not.

” I pivot to the VP of Human Resources. “I need to disclose that Eric and I are…” My voice trails off.

I don’t want to announce that we’re in a relationship; that would be presumptuous.

I should probably ask Eric and Hunter if they want to do that first.

“Are?”

“Involved,” Eric says.

John’s recovering from his shock. “She’s been sleeping with Kane, and they’ve been hiding it from you,” he says, his voice accusing. “In fact, she’s sleeping with both of them.” He points his finger at me. “Two men.”

“And?” Hira’s voice is frosty. “So what? I fail to see how Dixie’s personal life is any of my business. As for her relationship with Eric Kane, it’s already been disclosed to HR.”

“What?” I blurt out. “How? I didn’t tell?—”

“I did.” Xavier speaks for the very first time.

“I sat down with Hira a few weeks ago. I wanted to ensure I was evaluating both of you fairly.” His gaze moves from me to John.

His eyes harden. “You tried to blackmail one of my employees,” he says.

“Hira, let’s head to my office and take care of this. John, come with me.”

“Not so fast,” Eric grits out. “He called Dixie a slut.”

“Yes,” Xavier agrees. “And, judging by the look on your face, you want to punch him. But before you do, could I remind you that you’re still an employee of Leforte, and what you’re planning to do is definitely against the rules?”

Hunter steps forward. “Eric might be an employee of yours,” he says grimly. “But I’m not.” His fist jabs out and connects with John’s jaw.

John crumples to the floor.

Xavier sighs. He waves his hand, and a security guard appears out of nowhere. “Please get Mr. Stone to a room,” he says. “I’ll deal with him in the morning.” He gives Hira a wry smile. “Sorry to make you work on a Sunday.”

She laughs. “That’s okay, Xavier. I’m used to it.”

The party is in full swing. The band is loud, and everyone is on the dance floor. Xavier and Hira have rejoined the festivities. Hira gave me an encouraging smile before she went back into the ballroom. If I’ve shocked her by my revelation, she’s showing no sign of it.

Only the three of us remain.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry I ran away on Tuesday,” I whisper.

“Eric had suggested that ridiculous fantasy, and we were all wet, and I realized I’d fallen in love with you.

I was scared.” I take a deep breath. “I don’t want to let fear win anymore.

I’m not as brave as Fiona, Avery, and Kiera.

I’ve got a lot of conditioning to overcome.

I know you don’t want to be in a relationship with me, but?—”

“Dix,” Eric interrupts. “What do you mean, we don’t want to be in a relationship with you?”

I blink. “Well, it’s true. Hunter’s got too much going on, and you… you just don’t want it.”

Hunter opens his mouth to protest, but Eric gets there first. He tilts his head to a side. “And you reached this conclusion how?”

I give him an exasperated look. “Come on, Eric. Do I have to spell it out? We were sleeping together, and your first loyalty was to Xavier. You wouldn’t even tell me he was pissed off with me.”

“Dixie, I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”

“I asked him about some Thailand transactions, and?—”

“Wait, what? He wasn’t pissed off with you about that. I’m pretty sure that’s the day he decided to offer you the job.” He frowns. “Oh, shit. I think he wanted to tell you himself. Oops.”

I’m so confused. “If Xavier wasn’t annoyed with me, why didn’t you want me with you when you talked to Kevin Hughes?”

“I wanted to protect you.” He looks faintly sheepish. “I know you don’t need protecting. What can I say? It’s a thing I do. Hughes didn’t like you. If you’d been there at that meeting, he would have fixated on you. I wanted to insulate you from that.”

“Oh.” It’s not the first time he’s protected me from Kevin. Weeks ago, Kevin had been outraged about some contract or the other, and in our weekly huddle, Eric had jumped to my defense.

I feel like a fool. “I thought…” My voice trails off. My cheeks heat. “I might have jumped to conclusions. Again. Sorry.”

He waves it aside. “Forget that. None of that is important. You love us?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” I hear the relief in his voice. He takes a deep breath, and his eyes lock on mine. “After Cici, I didn’t want to be in love with anyone. Then you came along. I’m completely head-over-heels in love with you. And Hunter loves you, and?—”

“Hunter is perfectly capable of speaking for himself, thanks,” Hunter quips.

“But yes. What Eric said. I thought I couldn’t handle a relationship, but then you showed up at my house with a casserole.

I thought I was alone, and you made me see that I wasn’t.

I’m crazy about you, Dixie. And I hope that this means that you want something more committed and less casual, because that’s what I want. ”

Joy spreads through my body. “That’s what I want too.”

I’m not a fool. It won’t always be easy. The world really does look askance at non-traditional relationships. People will judge me. I still have no idea what I’m going to say to my brother.

But I have Eric and Hunter on my side, and I know it’ll all work out. It’s going to be amazing.